History comes to life in unique tale of town Book based on true story from 1920s Stonington

Editor’s note: Maine Bound is a new column featuring reviews of books by Maine authors or with Maine settings.

STONINGTON SCRAPS, by Caroline S. Rittenhouse, photos by Burton Ames, Peg Mitten Press, Stonington, 2002, 78 pages, $15.

Town histories can be dry and dull. Listings of local families’ names and colorless accounts of the school, church, economy, population and other facets of life do little to bring alive a town, especially for readers unfamiliar with that community.

Stonington resident Caroline S. Rittenhouse has taken a far more creative tack. In “Stonington Scraps,” she takes the true story of a child whose name was changed and spins a tale to capture life in Stonington during the 1920s. Save for the characters of 10-year-old Lydia (whose name is changed to Hannah), her mother Ellen Lowell and the McLean family who take the child in, all the other people and places in the book are real.

The slim paperback is further enhanced by fine black-and-white period photographs taken by Stonington resident Burton Ames. A tall, lanky man who dressed like a gentleman, Ames and his camera and tripod were a fixture about town. It’s fun to look at the portraits of solemn Dr. B. Lake Noyes striding down a flight of granite steps, Rhoda Billings Shepard in her gardening garb, bachelor brothers Calvin and Walden Ames with their oxen and other people who figure in the story.

In “Stonington Scraps,” Lydia, living on a small offshore island, suddenly becomes an orphan when her mother mysteriously dies. The little girl is sent off to Stonington to live with the McLeans, who rename her Hannah for the daughter they lost. She is befriended by Margaret Haskell, known as “the birdwoman of Deer Isle,” who takes her on rambles about Stonington, introducing her to people and educating her about the history, flora and fauna of the seaside community.

“Stonington Scraps” is an entertaining read for people of all ages. The book is also a creative, colorful vehicle for parents or teachers to educate children about the old way of life in Stonington and other Maine coastal towns.

“Stonington Scraps” can be purchased direct from Peg Mitten Press, P.O. Box 436, Stonington, ME 04681. 367-2838. The book is also available at Blue Hill Books in Blue Hill and Prints & Reprints in Stonington.

Sea tales

SEAROOM, Norman G. Gautreau, Macadem/Cage Publishing, Denver, Colo., 2002, 309 pages, $25.

Norman G. Gautreau, a New Englander of French-Canadian descent who lives in Wakefield, Mass., wrote a story about a grandfather, a grandson and a boat some 30 years ago. His interest in writing was set aside to pursue a career as a management consultant and public speaking coach.

Year later, Gautreau was reminded of the short story while gazing at “Outward Bound,” a painting of an old man and a young boy looking out to sea at a sailing ship, at the Norman Rockwell Museum in the Berkshires. By that time, he had quit the corporate world and was embarking on a new career as a writer. Reading Stephen Ambrose’s book about the D-Day landings, another story and characters started to form in his mind.

Gautreau and his wife combed the Maine coast and chose the Blue Hill peninsula for the setting of “Sea Room,” a novel about a closely knit fishing family whose pattern of living – lobstering and tending their saltwater farm – is abruptly changed by the onset of World War II. Lobsterman Gil Dupuy enlists in the war, leaving behind his chain-smoking father Pip and 10-year-old son Jordi and his dream of building a 42-foot wooden ketch. Gil is killed in action, plunging the Dupuy family into grief. His wife Lydie takes to seeing a local rogue, Virgil Blount, while the mother Nana seeks comfort in her Catholic faith.

Revival of Gil’s dream to build the ketch gets Jordi and Pip back on course, with many dramas along the way, including a near drowning, suspicious barn fire and alleged murder. Lydie dumps the leechy-eyed Blount and Nana forges ahead.

Setting the novel in the Hancock County town of Brooksville, Gautreau took pains to get all the geographic and navigational references right. He also appears to know boats – both fishing and sailing – and broadened his knowledge by taking courses at WoodenBoat School in Brooklin.

Prolonging your life?

Control for Life Extension: A Personalized Holistic Approach, by Valery Mamonov, Long Life Press Co., Rome, Maine, 2001, 587 pages, $24.95.

Valery Mamonov, a Russian engineer who makes his home in the Kennebec County town of Rome, has produced a voluminous book that explores the factors to living a long life. Over a four-year period, he interviewed centenarians – people who live to and past 100 – in Russia, China, Japan, Iceland and the United States. He found blood type, diet, lifestyle, heredity, temperament and other variables were key to the long lives of the centenarians ranging from a 100-year-old Russian milkmaid, who carried grain bags on her shoulders, to a 122-year-old Frenchwoman who drank a glass of port at every meal.

Mamonov visited Xu Fang, a 33-year-old Chinese woman living in Shanghai, who claims to be healthy despite not having eaten any solid food for 13 years.

“It was an early hour and I saw dozens of people doing gentle Qigong exercises in the parks as we passed by,” he writes. “The Chinese people accumulate the Qi energy and make it flow in their bodies for their health and longevity. Probably this energy has also allowed Xu Fang to abstain from food and be healthy, fit and vigorous.”

Mamonov, who has been on a quest to improve his own health for more than 20 years, offers a 12-step program to pursue longevity. It involves learning about one’s heredity, body type, risk factor for degenerative disease, genetic vulnerability to cancer and other health issues. He shares his research findings and personal experience practicing yoga, meditation, fasting, raw-food dieting, caloric restriction and other techniques.

In “Control for Life Extension,” a disclaimer cautions readers that the book is solely for informational and educational purposes and not intended as a substitute for advice from a medical professional. It stresses “reckless experimentation can be very dangerous; therefore, be very careful when applying information from books, including this one.”

“Control for Life Extension” can be obtained from Long Life Press, Co., 3 Hoyts Lane, Rome, ME 04963. 397-2624 or valmamonov@hotmail.com.